Undying Death
by dark-birdie
Summary: Rath has finally overcome his goal to die... but has come back again? But this time, as a little boy?
1. Undying Death1

Spiral: sigh yet ANOTHER RathxCesia fic. . .they are THE best pairing, man. ((well, actually, ThatzxKitchel is the best, but Rath is my favorite character, so my stories just always hafta be about him)) Anyways, just read, I actually don't have anything to say this time.

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Undying Death

'Heh. . .this time. . .' thought Rath, crimson red hair flattening against his skull as the pouring of rain refused to cease, 'No one's here. . .to stop me. . .Not Crewger, not Illuser, not Lykouleon, and not-' His blood-red eyes saddened as he fought to say his words, 'And not even. . .Cesia. . .' He closed his eyes and quickly murmured to himself, "I knew she wouldn't keep her promise. . .", before letting his fingers slip from the dense rocks of the cliff.

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"Cesia, please, calm-"

"no, No, NO! Be quiet! You're wrong!"

"Cesia, running from the truth will not help! It'll only make it more painful!"

"No, but- I. . .I promised! I promised I wouldn't let him! I. . .I broke my promise. . .I am such an idiot!" Salty, emotion-filled droplets of water streamed down the raven-haired girl's face as she sobbed into the Water Dragon Knight's shoulder. "Rune. . .it's all my fault. . .I let Rath die. . ." The overflow of tears flowing from her violet eyes wouldn't cease. She couldn't stop them. The one most precious person in her life had been taken from her. . .and Rath never knew that he was that precious one. . .

"It's no one's fault, Cesia. Please, stop crying. . ." came Rune's kind words.

"B-but. . ."

"Just go rest for a while. . ."

"O. . .okay. . ."

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Eyelids jolted open as frightening visions filled the young one's mind. Rath moaned as pain obscured his sight and made his stomach unsettled. Was this death? Was he dead? Or had someone yet again stepped in on his chance of death? For this certainly did not feel like death. He thought that it would feel more like floating in a dark abyss of nothingness. But this, this was most definitely not death. What was this? Something. . .something was covering him. . .a blanket? And he was lying on. . .a bed? Did someone take him back to the Dragon Castle? He gave a remark of anger and sat up in the bed. But wait, this wasn't the Dragon Castle. Everything was less . . ._royal_. . .He was in a simple, normal, common-folk room. No exquisite furnishings, no expensive art or drapes or anything. Many other formal beds were spread out to fill every inch of the room. And. . .everything seemed so much. . . _bigger. . ._What was going on? He looked to his left and saw a simple bureau, a candle atop it and a small, plain silver cross attached to a plain silver chain. It wasn't his. . .but somehow, it was his. It belonged to this person he was not.

He reached with his outstretched hand to grab the shining glory, but instantly, as soon as it was outstretched, he took it back. His fingers, so small were they. The small, kind fingers of a child, not the long, cold fingers that were his. Same were his feet, legs, and arms. All the small and kind pieces of a child, not of a cold adult. ((of course Rath wouldn't really qualify as an adult. . .)) Quickly, half by instinct and half by curiosity, Rath slid off the edge of the bed and onto the cold, worked, and dusted wooden floor of the room. Over in the left corner, was a tall piece of metal work. A mirror. Rath ran over to it, breathlessly, half tripping on his clothes which were one size too large.

Looking into the mirror, he saw a person not him. Was the metalwork playing a trick on him? His reflection this was most definitely not. Surely, how could it be? What he saw was the image of a young boy. Large, deep violet eyes gazed back at him, and short, raven-colored hair messily jutted out this way and that. He looked not yet past the age of ten, but over the ages of prime. His clothes lingered off the small frame of his body. Clothes one size too big. . .yes, he was this boy. But, how could it be? He was not in death, but was this renewed life? He had been brought back to life once before, but it was not like this. Before he had awoken in his own body, not a new one. And what sort of magic was this? A red hue, a deep, blood lust red, was emanating from the center of his body. But as soon as the light had come, it was gone.

Rath frowned and gave a slight growl as he realized what the red light was. Fire. He had died, yet the Dragon Clan was still clinging on to him. When would they let him go? How many times would he have to die until they would set him free? So, this was it. He had died only to be sent back to the living world as a child. And still, he had the power of the Fire Dragon. And who was this young boy whom's skin he was residing in? His question. . .was soon answered.

"ZOMA!"

Rath covered his small, child ears as a shout bounded off the walls of the room. It was most definitely not a shout of joy, but a shout of anger mixed in with malicious happiness. Suddenly, the old, fragile wooden door was burst open, making Rath take a step backward, only to trip over the excess clothe of his pants.

As he sat there on the cold, dusted wooden floor, the intruder stormed up to him, grabbing him heartlessly by the ear.

"Get up! GET UP!" roared the older boy. He shook the ear forcefully, making Rath yelp out in pain. Yet the older boy took no heed to Rath's outbursts. He simply yanked ever harder. "You're late," sneered the boy, releasing Rath's ear at last. But the pain was not over. Not even a second passed before the orange-eyed boy ruthlessly pushed him to the hard floor. "Hurry up and get to your chores! And don't forget that there's _mine_ to do also." The boy's tricolor hair, one part orange, one part red, and the back hair brown, reflected the sunlight shining in through the window. He sneered once more and continued with torturing Rath furthermore. A kick there, and a punch here, it was all in Garfakcy's daily routine.

And yet, through all the pain and suffering, Rath did nothing. He did not want to do anything. All he wanted. . .was to be gone. To be dead, like he was meant to be. So many times had death escaped him, why couldn't he just get what he wished? And why. . .why was this boy being so cruel to him? He had done nothing, yet he was receiving so much pain. Why?

Garfakcy satisfied himself with one last kick in the stomach as crimson red blood ebbed it's way out from between the younger boy's lips.

"Pathetic loser. . ." mocked the boy, making his way out the door, "Just hurry up and get downstairs. You have things to do." And with that, he was gone. Rath could hear Garfakcy's footsteps clomp down a flight of stairs, and then disappear beyond his hearing.

But. . .after the exit of the older boy's clomp of boots, came the soft "pit pat" of bare feet. Another person. . .someone else was coming. Would he receive more pain? Rath lay in wait curled up into a bundle, not bothering to open his eyes, or even move for that matter. He was drifting off further into the deep dark abyss of his consciousness.

Light flooded the abyss as something soft and warm made its way across his bleeding lips. Vision came back to him as he forcefully opened his eyes. A shape hovered over him. He couldn't make it out at first, but in a few moments, he could tell what it was.

A girl was looking over him. A bright blue towel was gripped in her hands, tainted with the crimson color of his own blood. As he attempted to sit up, she put a hand on his shoulder and said in a worried tone, "Please, don't. You're hurt," clenching the stained towel in her hands even harder.

"I'm fine. . ." mumbled Rath, sitting up despite the girl's pleas.

"But. . ." started the girl, light pink, slightly curly hair dropping down over her face as she looked at the floor. Golden eyes saddened and stared at the pattern of the wood. She couldn't be any older than his own, new age. "Yah. . .I guess you wouldn't want me here just pestering you. . ."

"No, wait, that's not what I meant," said Rath, as the girl gathered her healing kit. He grabbed the kit himself at the exact point of time when she did. His hand nonchalantly fell upon hers. Her cheeks turned a deep crimson as he refused to let go. "Please, I didn't mean it that way. You're very kind to be worrying about me." He got up, still holding the kit that she had let go of herself.

"It. . .it was nothing. . ." mumbled the girl, fidgeting with her hands and hair all the while speaking. "Just. . .just try to not let Garfakcy hurt you again. . .even though he kind of does every day. . ."

"Oh, here. This is yours," said Rath, placing the caring kit in the girl's hands. "Thanks again."

The girl practically ran out the door after she had been given back her things. She thought he was. . .odd today. The Zoma she knew didn't usually talk to her after she treated his wounds. The purple-eyed boy would usually just lie on the floor still while she did her work, and then he would go downstairs, do his chores, and not say a word. He would always have a far away look to him. Always thinking. But still, Hana Kusuku couldn't help but like him.

As the girl's footsteps sounded off farther and farther away until they were gone completely, Rath fumbled into the clothes which were laid out neatly on the floor next to the bed. Since he was in this boy's body, he might as well see where he was, and try to figure out why he was here. He also grabbed the silver cross necklace off the Bureau before heading to the door.

But then, he noticed one thing that stuck out in his mind like a stick in mud. After removing the over large nightshirt, he noticed his bare chest. There was no dragon amulet clinging to him. No necklace to suppress his demonic aura. Did this mean. . .he was through with Illuser?

"ZOMA!" roared the voice of the bully once again.

Rath hastily slid into the rest of his clothes and proceeded to going downstairs. No time to think about that now. He sighed and took in a deep breath. Today was going to be a long day. . .

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Cesia looked into the deep dark depths of the witch's crystal, reading the magical words which flowed from the shining rock, to her mind. Before her sat the Dragon Lord, and the Officers of White and Yellow, Alfeegi and Ruwalk.

"A. . .a new," started Cesia, choking back tears as she spoke the dreaded words, "A new Fire Dragon Knight has appeared." This was it, this single string of words; it carried so much sorrow for her. In order for there to be a new Fire Dragon Knight, there must be the death of the Original. He was gone. The Rath whom she had sought to protect and never let die. . .was dead. How could she have been so stupid? She should have been with him. How could she not know that he would get himself killed? It was simple logic, yet she had ignored it and now he was dead. Never, would she let herself be forgiven.

"Where is he, Cesia?" asked Ruwalk, auburn-colored hair falling to his shoulders. Kind, brown eyes were filled with curiosity and the happiness of living.

"And what is the child's name?" questioned Alfeegi, stern hazel eyes focusing on the girl and mahogany-colored hair tied back into a "hair tail".

"His name is. . .Zoma, and he is residing in. . .West Dragoon, in an orphanage called. . .Shy's Orphanage," she muttered, digging into the witch's crystal for the information.

"Many thanks to you, Cesia. You have done your work. You may do whatever you wish now," said the Dragon Lord Lykouleon, kind golden eyes reflecting the rays of sun, and running his fingers through his equally as golden hair.

Ruwalk stretched out his arms as Alfeegi proceeded to leaving the room. Lykouleon followed Alfeegi, saying one last good bye to the fortuneteller, and ordered Ruwalk to follow suit.

'A new Fire Dragon Knight, eh?' thought the Dragon Lord to himself, 'This shall be. . .interesting. . .'

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Rath, or "Zoma", as he was called, looked about his surroundings. Numbers of children were everywhere. Cleaning this, sweeping that. All of them were doing chores with no complaints. He noticed the pink-haired girl in one of the corners, dusting off the counters. Only one kid was not working. The multi-colored haired bully, Garfakcy. Despite all the children, Rath blinked as he saw two adults walking this way and that, making sure the children weren't fooling off or slacking away. The two adults most definitely were twins, yet one was male and the other, female. Both hand long blonde hair that went past their wastes to rest on the cold, stone floor. Just the sight of them made Rath shiver. They looked so. . .unkind. And what were those things in their hands?

He traced the things with his eyes. Thin, silver strings were attached from the adults' fingers to each and every child. Except for the elder boy, Garfakcy. They seemed to favor him above all else. What were those things-

"ZOMA! Get down here now!" ordered the female adult, pointing a spare finger at him.

Rath instantly lost his breath as a feeling of icy coldness swept over his body. The sensation only took about ten seconds to get used to, but when Rath opened his eyes, the same silver string that connected the other children, was running out from his chest. "Wha. . .what. . .?"

"Shut up and get working!" sneered Garfakcy, he turned to the female and said politely, "Miss Shyrendora, would you be so kind as to-"

"No need to ask Garfakcy, dear," replied the female quickly. She gave a tug of her finger, and Rath jolted forward, pain searing across his chest. "Get working foul brat!"

Rath regained balance and put a hand on his head, trying to calm himself from the sudden rush of pain. Whoever those twins were, he did not know, all he knew was that it was wisest to do what they told him. He didn't have the power to fight back, well, not until Fire awakened. But, who knew when that would happen? And. . .what was he supposed to do? He had only been in this body for not more than an hour, how was he to know what this boy, Zoma, was assigned for?

He looked around for an answer to his question and his eyes fell on the pink-haired girl. He remembered her, she would help. . .hopefully. . .

Not wanting to upset Shyrendora any further, he quickly made his way over to the pink-haired girl. She slightly jumped as he reached over to tap her on the shoulder.

"Huh? Oh. . .it's. . .it's you. . ." she mumbled, twisting her hair with her fingers. "I. . .I'm sorry if I bothered you before. . .but you. . .you should start your chores. . .before they get angry. . ." Twice. . .twice today she was talking to the boy of her dreams.

"Um. . .I just wanted to know. . ." muttered Rath, looking around, ". . .what am I supposed to do?"

"Huh?" questioned Hana Kusuku, ceasing her dusting of the furniture. "Are. . .are you feeling okay?" she asked in a worried tone. "Your jobs are to scrub the floors with the other boys and to clean the windows. And then after that, we just do whatever Miss Shyrendora, Mr. Shydeman, or Garfakcy tell us to do."

"Oh, that's right. . .I had just. . .forgot, but thanks anyways," he said, searching for where the "other boys" were. After finding them, he mumbled a thanks to the girl and ran off to join the boys.

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"Finally Zoma! Geez, we thought you'd never show up!" called a black-haired boy, not any older than the boy Zoma, a little too cheerfully for such a gloomy setting. A barrier of a white bandanna held his mess of shining black hair back. Nohiro cheerfully threw a rag at his comrade and continued with his own scrubbing of the floors. ((okay, so Nohiro ain't really a kid, but I wanted him to come out in this story as one, 'cause he acts so much like a kid))

"You're in deep heat Zoma," said another boy, handing Rath a bucket of soapy water. "The Shys are probably gonna punish you for getting up late. . ." Light green hair shimmered in what little sunlight there was, and equally as green eyes looked stern at his tardy friend. "If I were you, I'd stay clear from their path for the rest of the day. You wouldn't want them to take you to the 'room'."

"What's tha. . .I mean, right," muttered Rath, saving his words before he let them slip. He had to pretend that he was this boy they thought was there friend and companion. If they were his friends. . .

"Geesh, Ringleys, you don't gotta be so serious. . ." said Nohiro, stretching his aching arms, "They wouldn't put him in the 'room' for just waking up late."

"You never know. . .they're capable of doing anything. . ." whispered Ringleys in a low and dark tone. He motioned for both Nohiro and Rath to get closer, which they obeyed. "Someone's missing again."

"What, really?" asked Nohiro, mischievous growing larger with both excitement and fear. "Who? Who was it?"

"It was that clumsy girl, remember her? Her name was. . .Miyabi, I think. She was always messing up, dropping dishes and such."

"Oh yeah, her," said Rath falsely, trying to fit in. His real thoughts were, 'What's going on? Why is a girl missing?'

"Yah. And now her disappearance is getting all the other girls worked up. She's the fifth kid this week."

"The fifth!" whispered Rath a little too loudly.

"Keep it down Zoma!" Ringleys hissed, motioning them to keep working. "Yah, remember? Yesterday was Sansi, before her was Shian, and before her was Kevin, and before him was Ben. That's five people so far for just this week. Usually it's only one to three a week, but it's been five already."

"Wow. . ." added Nohiro, whistling.

"YOU THREE!" came the shout of the female caretaker of the orphanage. Rath looked back just in time to see her twitch her fingers.

All three boys jerked back, clutching their shirts as pain seared through their chests where the silver string was attached to each one of them. Rath forced an eye open to see Shyrendora's dark shadow tower over them.

"If you have time for idle conversations, I am assuming that you do not have enough work?" asked the villainous lady sarcastically. "Well then, more work is what you will get!" She beckoned a finger towards them, and the strings instantly pulled them towards her. "This day shall be quite fun for you three. . ."

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"Argh!" groaned Nohiro, plopping down, hands behind his head, onto the warming comforts of his bed, located to the left of Zoma's. "My arms hurt like hell!"

"ALL of our arms hurt like hell, Hiro, not only yours," grumbled Ringleys, rubbing his own pair of arms as he made his way to his own bed, which was located to the right of Zoma's. "That witch made us wash all 239 windows in this frickin' place! BY OURSELVES!"

"Ow. . ." was all Rath said as he rubbed his arms, sitting cross-legged on his mattress. He had never had to do so much work in his life. Since birth he had always been pampered and given the life of luxury, but now. . .well, now he was living in the exact opposite of luxury. But, somehow. . .it made him feel good. He was finally away from the eyes of the Dragon Clan. Was this how it felt to be a real kid? He smiled at the thought and lay his head down on the soft pillow.

As the sounds of snores and other groans filled the small room, Rath ordered and filed the thoughts in his head. 'Nohiro; the optimist, Ringleys; the more serious one, leader of kids, ((well, not counting Garfakcy)) Hana Kusuku; quiet girl, shy, has a crush on. . .well, me. . .' and on and on he filed his thoughts, until finally, he came to the one thought which had been bothering for a while. 'Why are kids disappearing? . . .maybe I'll take a look around. . .'

Spiral: all for now…


	2. Undying Death2

Spiral: A NEW CHAPTER! ((don't kill me cause I haven't updated my other ones..)) enjoy, R&R!

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Silently, Rath slipped out of his bed, making sure that all the other children were sound asleep. He lighted a candle, striking the match against the bureau, and silently made his way to the door, which, to his luck, was slightly ajar. He wedged himself through the crack and continued on down the hall. It was pitch black, with the exception of his candle, and a small light coming from downstairs.

'Hm?' thought Rath, making his way silently down the stairs, 'I wonder who's awake?' ((well why is he awake? But that's not important. . .))

"-Lord Nadil is getting angry, the beast residing in him is hungering for more."

"If we keep this up, there'll be no more children to sacrifice! How much hungrier can that thing get!"

"Do not question the master, Shyrendora, we must do what he says, no matter how many he wants."

"You're right Shydeman. . .who's turn is it tonight-"

Rath held his breath as the voices of Shydeman and Shyrendora filled his ears. They were standing at a table, facing each other with stern faces. He tried desperately to still his beating heart, afraid that with every "b-bump", they'd find him.

'Come on. . .keep talking. . .' he thought to himself, standing along the wall of the door, 'Who are you gonna take next?'

"-the pink-haired girl. . .Hana Kusuku, was it?"

"Oh, yes, her. . .hard working girl she is. It'll be a shame to get rid of her," snickered Shyrendora.

"A shame indee-"

"HEY! YOU! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!" came a shout from across the hall.

Rath spun his head around to come face to face with-

"SHYDEMAN! SHYRENDORA!" yelled Garfakcy, "We have an eavesdropper. . ."

"Is that true. . ."

Rath stepped forward and spun around again as the door swung open. Light flooded out into the hall as Shydeman and Shyrendora stepped out of the room. He took a step backwards, only to bump into the bully Garfakcy.

"Damn," cursed Rath to himself. This was not good. Without his powers or even a sword, he was helpless. In this child's body, there was no strength, and who knew what magic the Shy's possessed?

"What do you think, Shydeman?" questioned Shyrendora, once again connecting a silver string of pain to the helpless boy.

"I don't know, Shyrendora," replied the man sarcastically, "Garfakcy? Do you have any suggestions?"

Garfakcy smirked and glared evilly at Rath. "I say give him away with her," he answered, stepping to the side.

Rath stared in horror as his violet eyes stared at the person before him. Garfakcy's stepping to the side allowed Rath to view what he had been bringing to the caretakers of the orphanage.

Hana Kusuku stood there, hands at her sides; pink hair turned a sullen gray. All her clothes, skin, and everything else were a sulking gray. She was like a figure out of a black and white T.V. And her eyes, her once beautiful golden eyes were a dull gray, consisting of no pupils. They were empty, completely soulless.

"Marvelous idea, Garfakcy," sneered Shyrendora, giving a flick of her finger.

"AGH!" Rath yelled out as the pain once again spread across his chest. But this time, it wasn't only his chest. The burning pain spread throughout his whole body. Chest head, arms, and even his mind. He fell to his knees, clutching his aching head with his hands, shouting out in pain.

"Feh, pathetic loser," smirked Garfakcy, taking this chance to torture the poor boy further. He swung his fist and Rath fell to the floor, blood streaming down his lips. "No one's here to help you," Garfakcy took his foot and placed it on top of Rath's small hands, and then, he began digging his sole into the young boy's fingers. "All the other children can't even hear us thanks to Shydeman and Shyrendora. Tomorrow morning, all they'll know is that you've disappeared like the rest."

"AAAAAGH!" yelled Rath, cringing as Garfakcy ground into his fingers ever more.

"Garfakcy, enough fooling around," snapped Shydeman, waving his hand in the air.

"Yes, I think he's had enough torture before his death," cackled Shyrendora, releasing Rath from the silver string.

The older boy's foot instantly backed away from Rath's bloodied fingers. Garfakcy frowned at the man and crossed his arms. "You guys are no fun."

"Lord Nadil is here," was all Shydeman said before returning inside the room which he had come from. "Bring the children in."

Garfakcy grabbed Rath by the shirt and dragged him into the room. Shyrendora motioned at the gray Hana Kusuku with her finger, and the girl walked slowly into the room at her command.

Rath rubbed his fingers with his other, undamaged ones. He couldn't feel anything. The fingers that Garfakcy had so brutally stepped on were all broken. He let his useless hand fall to his side, as he saw the scene before him.

Someone, or was it a _something_, had entered the room without the use of the door. It appeared to be a man, but. . .there was something floating around _in _him. The thing's form created an outer layer of body for the man. The man himself was a quite handsome, with deep purple hair and dark, evil, magenta eyes. The form surrounding him was unreadable. It's motion kept anyone from telling what it was. Nadil grinned and held out a hand.

Rath's eyes switched from the demon lord, to the demon lord's hand. On the palm. . . was a small hole? It was. . .a mouth? Embedded into the man's palm was a fanged, blood-lusting mouth. Its many jagged teeth clanged together. It licked its lips as Nadil turned to face it towards the two children.

Rath slightly jumped as someone approached him. He looked to his left to see Hana Kusuku walk pass him. She was heading straight towards the mouth in a daze.

"N-no. . ." murmured Rath through bleeding lips. Hana Kusuku. . .the shy girl who had tended to his wounds, the girl who had been the first to treat him with kindness in his new life. . was about to die. "Ha. . .Hana Kusuku. . .d-don't. . ."

But the entranced girl was deaf to Rath's pleas. She continued to slowly make her way towards the devilish mouth.

"Argh," he groaned, trying desperately to get up. There was something. . .something inside him, not the pain, something was. . .burning. . . "Ha. . .Hana Kusuku. . .stop. . ."

The girl was almost to the demon lord. Almost to the devilish hand. . . .Almost to her death. . .

"S. . .stop," pleaded Rath, forcing himself up, only to be forced down again by Garfakcy, "Please. . .stop. . ." The burning sensation within him grew worse. This feeling. . .it had happened once before. . . "Stop. . .H-Hana Kusuku. . .stop. . .STOP!"

Garfakcy made a shield for his face with his arms as the boy before him burst into flames. The fire engulfed Rath and took the form of fiery wings. Shydeman and Shyrendora, too, watched as the flames formed into a great red dragon, outstretching its great flaming wings. Head, mane, all the way down to flaming tail was formed by the flames, topped with a shining, silvery horn jutting out from the center of its forehead.

"Fire!" exclaimed Rath with joy. Now he remembered why the burning sensation had felt so familiar. It had happened once before. Finally, his power had returned to him. Now he could act. "Fire, get the girl!"

The great dragon answered his master's command. It flapped its blazing wings and swooped to grab the girl of gray out of the devilish mouth's way.

Rath stared in astonishment as his wounds, cuts, and broken fingers healed themselves. Flames blazed inside and out of the cuts, sewing them together and leaving not a single scar. The same flames swirled around his broken fingers, mending the bones and placing them back in their correct positions.

"Ha!" Rath grinned and held his hand out in front of him arm's length. Red light shimmered and glowed. It flowed in and out and finally formed into a long, red, dangerous sword. It was quite a amazing sight to see such a young child wielding such a dangerous weapon. "If you die. . ." he said, pointing the glinting tip of the sword at the Demon Lord, "No more children will have to be sacrificed. . ." The joy of slaying demons returned to Rath. "Die!" He ran straight towards the Demon Lord, sword in position.

But, alas, the Demon Lord vanished in a whisp of black smoke before Rath's eyes. THE Demon Lord, Nadil, would not be killed that easily.

"Feh, I'll get him later," muttered Rath under his breath, once again talking as his old self. "Now. . .where did that dragon go. . ."

"That Dragon" was over in the corner, in his small form, and resting upon the shoulder of the still gray form of Hana Kusuku. He held up a piece of white paper high in the air. :She's not waking up:

"I'll deal with that later," replied Rath, noticing Shydeman and Shyrendora running out of the room followed closely by Garfakcy. "Where do you think you're going!"" he shouted, blocking the exit with a wall of fire. More pillars of fire erupted all around the room. "I'm going to burn this place to ashes!"

"Oh really," sneered Shyrendora, shielding her face with her arms, "What about all your friends? The other orphan brats."

The fire burned out in sync with Rath as he suddenly remembered the other children in the building. If he burned down the building, they would be burned down, too.

Shydeman took Rath's pause as the moment to act. He lunged at Rath, a swirling white light forming in his outstretched hand.

Rath didn't have time to react. He held his sword out in front of him to embrace the attack.

"Beating on a little kid, are we?"

"Indeed, someone did not teach you manners."

Rath opened his eyes to see Shydeman back to his spot next to his twin, clutching a bleeding shoulder. Two forms stood with backs facing the young boy, guarding him with their bodies and their swords. On each person's shoulder perched a small dragon. One of them, the one with short, messy brown hair, had a dragon that looked as if it were carved straight out from rock, the other, the one with long, blonde hair which went past the waist, had a dragon that was a shade of light blue, with a flowing blue mane and a gem embedded in its forehead. By the looks of it, the brown-headed one was the one to pierce Shydeman with their blade. Rath knew these two. He had known the blonde particularly since he was a child. The trio had been on many missions together, and had traveled in the lands of Dusis for a long time.

"Thatz. . .Rune?" murmured Rath, letting his sword and himself drop to the floor. For a long time, he had not seen these two. And now, they would not even know who he was, and something, a force controlling his newborn tongue, would not let him reveal the truth.

"Hm?" Thatz turned to face his comrade of Water, "You say something Blondie?"

Rune also stared at Thatz, slightly confused, "No, I thought it was you. . ."

Both Dragon Knights ((and dragons)) turned to face the mysterious raven-haired boy whom they were guarding.

Rath hastily tried to redirect the signs of suspicion away from him. "W-wasn't me!" he mumbled, waving his hands in a very child-like manner.

'Hopefully, they'll think they imagined it. . .' thought Rath to himself, slumping back to the ground, obviously tired. He had forgotten that a child could take on less excitement for one day than an adult. He sighed as the two Dragon Knights before him shook their heads in unison, then went back to beating the heck out of the bad guys.

The younger boy blinked and looked up as a card floated into his lap. The small red dragon had appeared on his shoulder, nudging him to read the message. "Oh, r-right," said Rath, quickly flipping the card over in his hands.

:Let them take care of the demons, shouldn't you attend to the girl: Was written on the card.

"What can I do? I don't have healing powers like Rune does!" complained Rath to the dragon.

Fire blinked in confusion and quickly scribbled a less legible card. :You. . .sound familiar. Like my old master, who are you:

"I am your old master, dolt!" was what Rath planned to say, but the words didn't come out. He opened his mouth once again, but the sentence didn't come. Something was blocking him from telling the truth. And so he continued on with his other reply. "My name is Zoma," said Rath, fully understanding that he would have to live with the name for the entirety of his life.

:And. . .: came another card.

"And. . .what?" questioned Rath, yet again redirecting suspicions.

:Don't you have a story or something? Like, why you are here, and what happened to your parents: The dragon cocked his head to the left as he wrote out his questions.

"My. . .er, story?" Rath hastily managed to organize frantic thoughts in his mind. He needed a story to supply to questions. Surely the Dragon Tribe was going to interrogate him, right? 'I need a story. . .' thought Rath to himself.

As those whispers of thoughts flowed out into the channels of his mind, a small voice, his own, echoed throughout his mind. _'You want my story? I'll tell you. . .'_ As the voice echoed on, the cross of which was attached to the silver chain began to glow a steady, sparkling glow. Then, like the film of a movie, the history began to play by the light of the cross.

A woman's high-pitched scream, a man's plea for hope. . .these were the sounds going through Rath's head. And then. . .he heard his own voice. Slightly more childish, tone wise, and filled with. . .fear. . .

"_Mama!" cried out the young boy, clutching at the ends of his mother's dress. Tears were streaming down his face. He nudged his mother more as she refused to respond. "Mama, wake up!"_

"_Z-Zoma. . ." a man practically dragged himself with his two hands to lay on the ground close enough to the boy to have him hear his whispers. "I'm. . .I'm afraid mama won't be waking up. . .and. . .and I won't be waking up. . .either. . "_

"_No. . .no, daddy, please. . .don't. . .don't close your eyes. . ."_

_The four-year-old Zoma let the tears stream down his face as he watched the men dressed in black run off into the fading darkness. They had done this. They had ruthlessly murdered his parents. . .and they had taken away his happiness. _

And with a last cry of pain from the young boy, Rath snapped back to the present, feeling a sharp nip in the shoulder. "Ow! That hurt!" Rath swatted the small red dragon on his shoulder. After a moment's pause, he took in his surroundings. How long was he in remembrance? Shydeman and Shyrendora seemed to be long gone, and there was no trace of Garfakcy either. And also, the light of the cross had long faded out. Oy, did he zone out for that long? Then, the sharp nipping came again.

"CUT THAT OUT!" he yelled, this time instead of just swatting, he started to strangle Fire.

"Oy, shrimp, you better cut that out or he's gonna die!" smirked a voice of cunning and humor. The brown-haired Knight of Earth, Thatz, plopped down onto the floor, cross-legged, to be face to face, ((not to mention height level)) with the young boy before him. The former thief smiled, eyes half closed, and put his hand on top of the boy's head, ruffling up the hair. "Heh, you're a lot smaller than Rath. But I'm sure you'll be a good replacement."

Yet again, Rath's voice was cut off as he attempted to remark, "I am Rath, stupid!" So instead, once again, he proceeded with the answer, "I'm Zoma."

"Well, Zoma," said Thatz happily, clapping Rath on the shoulder, almost knocking the boy down, "Glad to have you on the team!"

"Who. . .who are you guys?" asked Rath falsely, trying desperately to keep the act up. Geez, was this getting annoying.

This time, it was Rune who spoke. "We're from the Dragon Clan. The Dragon Knights, to be exact," said the Water Dragon Knight, seeming more grand to Rath now than he had before. Rune's princeliness was very obvious. "We have come to get you and take you back to the Dragon Castle." Rune smiled at his own words. He was remembering when the same scene had happened to him, only he had been a faerie at the time, and was living in the Fiori Forest, not stuck in an orphanage.

"Why?"

"Why?" asked Rune to himself, repeating the boy's words, "Well. . .uh. . .because. . .Thatz, help me out here."

"BECAUSE YOU'RE SPECIAL!" shouted Thatz out loud in happiness.

"That did not exactly help. . ."mumbled Rune, sweating slightly.

"Still an idiot. . ." said Rath, blurting out words he did not mean to.

"Eh?" Thatz and Rune gave the boy "Zoma" stares of question.

"I mean-" Rath searched his mind for an excuse, "I. . .I'm an idiot!"

"Er. . .why?" asked Rune. This boy was very. . .odd. . .

Rath breathed in deeply, ready to break his pride. He had to do this, he couldn't let them figure out who he was. And then-

Thatz and Rune stared as the boy before them broke into sobs.

Rath covered his face with his hands. God, it was actually quite fun pretending to cry. Memories of his own past life played in his mind. He remembered when he had done the same act years ago when he had gotten himself into trouble in the castle as a child. It most definitely had worked on Ruwalk and Kai-Stern, but never on Tetheus or Alfeegi.

"Blondie. . ." mumbled Thatz under his breath, "Do something! Where's the off button on this kid?"

"I don't know! I have never taken care of a child before!" snapped Rune, frustratingly getting a headache. "Okay. . .let me try. . ." he shook his head for a moment, then knelt before the boy. He put a hand on the boy's shoulder and smiled almost a little too kindly. "Okay, why do you feel like an idiot?"

Rath smirked a little, then continued on with the act. He sniffed and pointed to the gray form of Hana Kusuku in the corner. "B-b-because, even though. . .th-the Shy's are gone, she's still like that!" whined Rath, rubbing his watering eyes with the ends of his sleeves.

"Oh, is that it?" Rune smiled a real smile this time around. This was a problem he could fix. "Don't worry, I can get her back to normal." He hastily stood up straight and strode over to the girl of gray.

Rath ceased the sobbing act to watch as the elfin prince began to let his faerie healing power flow through his fingers, golden strands of light waving this way and that. The golden string flew from Rune's fingers to entwine themselves around the girl, then the string plunged deep within her, making her glow with the same soft light as the threads.

Color immediately returned to the girl. A rose-colored pink returned to her cheek, gold returned to her eyes, and life returned to her soulless body. She had regained what was lost, and looked around, confused.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Spiral: all for now…


	3. Undying Death 3

dark-birdie: well, it has been an interesting adventure for our heroes so far. . .what dangers ensue for them? Who knows! Just read you twit!

Undying Death- Chapter Three

After their little excursion in Shy's orphanage, because of the deaths of the owners of the orphanage, Lykouleon invited all the abandoned children to stay in the Dragon Castle. "The more the merrier," was his remark as he shrank at the sight of an angry white dragon officer, but Alfeegi, too, didn't want to just leave the children in another orphanage, and so agreed with Lykouleon's decision.

But that didn't mean he was happy.

"Nohiro! Stop jumping on the bed! Ah! Ringleys, those books are expensive! Put them down this instant! MIYABI! I TOLD YOU NOT TO SWING ON THE CURTAINS!" Alfeegi continued to explode around the room as tiny little midget kids decided to ruin his life. ((btw, forget the fact that I said Miyabi and Shian were dead. . .because I just brought them back to life. . .just replace their names with someone else's))

The remaining children from the orphanage, including Zoma, were six children. Three boys, and three girls. The boys being Zoma, Nohiro, and Ringleys, and the three girls being Hana Kusuku, Miyabi, and Shian. And so far, Alfeegi wasn't too happy about the fact of six crazy kids ruining the castle. Except for Hana Kusuku, of course. He and everyone else, especially Cernozura, simply ADORED her. Mainly because they thought she was the cutest, most kind and pitiful thing they had ever seen. Ever since she had set foot in the castle, she followed around the head Chamberlain wherever she went. Perhaps it was because when Cernozura had seen the state the pink-haired girl was in, she immediately turned to her motherly mode and tended to her every need. And, well, Hana Kusuku, never ever having anyone tend to her, was filled with joy that someone was actually caring for her.

And the result of this was. . .

Both Lykouleon and Ruwalk stared out the office door as Cernozura passed by it, bearing a laundry basket in her hands. And then, as soon as she had passed, Hana Kusuku passed the door right after her, carrying a smaller basket of laundry in her hands. Then Cernozura passed by the door again, bringing out a fresh pile of clothes, followed by Hana Kusuku carrying the same thing.

"Doesn't that get annoying after a while?" muttered Ruwalk to his childhood friend, piling up more papers on the Lord's desk.

This act of passing back and forth in front of Lykouleon's office door happened several more times, until finally Cernozura paused right in front of the door.

And then a few seconds later. . .

Hana Kusuku rubbed her nose as she collided with the elder woman's back, looking up startled as to why she had stopped.

"I don't think Cernozura minds," replied Lykouleon, smiling as the chamberlain squealed, "You're so adorable!" and put the pink-haired girl in a death hug.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"Hey guys, guess what!" Rath was quite used to the child act now, and actually had fun playing with his young friends. "I'm an automatic lighter!" He snapped his fingers, and a flame erupted at the tip of his nail. He continued to snap his fingers, "On, off, on, off, on, off, on, off o-"

"Zoma, WE GET IT!" snapped Ringleys, dousing his friend's finger with a nearby bucket of water. He always had one handy just in case Zoma decided to set something on fire.

"Well, I think it's cool," said Nohiro, leaning on the bedpost of his new and very comfortable bed. "Hey, let's go find some ants and burn them!" He happily jumped off the bed ((flying up a couple feet first, though)) and landed on the ground. "Now, where to find some an- AH!" Nohiro darted underneath his blankets as a person popped out of seemingly nowhere. "O-oh! Tetheus!" Nohiro peered out from his covers and smiled with fear. Ever since the Black Dragon Officer had caught him sneaking highly expensive Elven wine from the pantry, Nohiro had been terrifyingly scared of the emotionless officer.

"I was just told. . ." started Tetheus, staring oddly at the boy underneath the blankets.

"Whatever it is, I didn't do it!" shouted Nohiro, covering himself up even more. "It's not my fault that Lady Raseleane's favorite vase in the third corridor on the fifth floor, two right turns from the entering staircase is falling apart because of a pathetic attempt to glue it back together!"

Tetheus raised an eyebrow at this rather long statement and continued on with his announcement. "I was just told. . .to bring Zoma to the Lord's Office," he concluded, then staring accusingly at the lump underneath the blankets. "But I shall be visiting Lady Raseleane's favorite vase in the third corridor on the fifth floor, two right turns form the entering staircase, that SHOULD be perfectly fine and not cracked or glued together in any way."

"DAMMIT!" screamed Nohiro into his pillow as he realized he had just blew it once again.

"I wonder what Lykouleon wants with Zoma?" said Ringleys, watching the violet-eyed boy follow the Black Dragon Officer out of the room.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"A Dragon Knight?"

"Yes, the Dragon Knight of Fire, to be exact," said the Dragon Lord, looking down at the boy from his seat behind his wide oak desk. "I hear Thatz gave you a rather…_poor_ explanation of what you were."

"Hey, what's wrong with being special!" argued Thatz, from his corner of the room. Rune stood next to him, sighing as he thought his friend couldn't get any dumber. ((gomen Thatz fans out there… I made him SUCH an airhead))

Lykouleon gave a slight sweat and continued on, "_Anyways, _what I'm trying to say is. You are no longer human. You're a dragon, to be exact. One of the special clan who rule over Draqueen."

"SEE! I told ya he was special!" shouted Thatz, he then gave a poor impersonation of the Dragon Lord; "One of the SPECIAL clan who rule over Draqueen." He yelled, flapping his arms in the air like a child.

And, accordingly, Rune proceeded to land a rather GARGANTOUS rock on top of the bumbling twit's head, shouting, "SHUT UP WHEN THE LORD IS TALKING YOU DOLT!"

Anywho…

"AS I WAS SAYING…" continued Lykouleon, "the fire dragon knight is a particularly special position."

Rath let the words flow through his ears then out again. Ya dee ya dee ya… It was the same speech he was given last time, he didn't need to hear it again. He just smiled and nodded once in a while, then continued with following the trail of a speck of dust.

"Oh, and I would like you to meet our fortune teller," Lykouleon came out from behind his desk, "She helped us find you."

"Nn…" murmured Rath to himself, turning to face the door. 'Of course, duh, Sarazar is always the one to tell you where things are…'

Ruwalk opened the door, and the fortuneteller walked in, clad in her special-occasion, white fortune telling outfit.

And watering, slightly puffed and slightly red, eyes.

Rath's heart jumped a beat as he saw the girl enter the room. 'Cesia!' He searched and searched his mind as to when she had started being the fortune teller of the Dragon Castle. 'Think, think…'

Oh, wait, now he remembered! It was when he and the other knights had come back from retrieving Nadil's head. Yeah, that was it. And then when they got back to the castle, the Dragon Lord had already taken her in as their official fortune teller.

'How could I forget?' he thought to himself, fiddling around with the silver cross around his neck.

"I'm sorry," said the demon witch, wiping her eyes on her sleeve, "Something just got into my eye…" she lied, downcast.

"Cesia, this is Zoma," said Lykouleon, introducing the boy besides him. "The new Fire Dragon Knight."

The girl looked down at the small boy and forced a smile upon her face. Her words stuttered as she spoke. "V-very nice to…" a small tear slide down her cheek, "meet…" and another tear, "you…"

And then the girl burst into tears.

"I'm sorry!" she half shouted, trying to soak up all her tears with her sleeve, "I'm r-really sorry! I-I just…" she could no longer hold back her emotions. She rushed out of the room as quickly as possible and ran down the hall straight back to her room.

Rath stared. 'Cesia…' What had just happened? Never in his entire life had he ever seen the yokai cry. Not even the sight of dying people or bloodied corpses.

"I'm sorry for the, um…outburst," said Lykouleon, looking down at the child. "She recently lost a very good friend."

"What?" Rath no longer thought to himself, but aloud. No way, she was crying over his death? A small thing like that…and she was crying about it?

"She blames his death on herself," Lykouleon looked out the door that Cesia had left through.

Rath felt his stomach do a back flip. "…why?"

"Well," the Dragon Lord bent down on one knee to be on face level with Rath, "because she loved him. You might not get it now, but," he glanced over at Lady Raseleane, who was patiently waiting on the other side of the room, "When you come to love someone, you will do anything in your way to keep them safe. Even at the cost of one's own life." His golden eyes slightly dimmed, "But if that person were to die…then one would blame themselves for their death, because they would think it was _their _fault for not being there, _their _fault for not stopping them, or _their _fault for not being strong enough." He got up from the ground. "It's okay if you don't understand, You're still very young, after all."

No, Rath had understood all the Dragon Lord had said.

Cesia had loved him.

And he had just figured it out now.

'_God, why am I so stupid?'_

()(X)()

dark-birdie: excuse me while I continuously hit myself with a spikey stick for making Rath go through such heartache… -hits herself with said stick- I'M SORRY I'M SORRY I'M SORRY I'M SORRY RATH! Don't forget to review! ((btw, did you catch the Fruits Basket thing with Hana Kusuku and Cernozura?))


	4. Chapter 4

Dark-birdie: -hits head on wall repeatedly- MUST. FINISH. OLDER. FICS.

Undying Death-4

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"Psst- Nohiro, what's wrong with him?"

"Dunno, he's been like that ever since he came back from the Dragon Lord's office."

Ringleys pouted, "Blah, now everything's boring. Hey, Nohi-WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!"

The said boy snickered as he set the match on the fabric of Zoma's clothes. Ringleys stared in horror as his friend in a zombie-like state began to catch on fire.

"What, it's not going to affect him anyways!" said Nohiro, watching his friend erupt in flames only to have nothing happen to him.

Rath continued to sit like an empty husk, his legs dangling off the porch, and the afternoon sun shining down on his cold body.

'_Cesia loved me, I'm dead now, there's nothing I can do,'_ thought Rath to himself, _'So stupid…'_

He could hear the distant voices of his friends. Though they were right in front of him, he could barely make out their words.

"Cesia."

"Hn?" He had definitely heard that; the name that had started his state of confusion. Slowly, he withdrew from his vegetable state and paid attention to reality.

"Look. Right there, the fortuneteller-lady. She's in the rose garden, well, not now, she WAS there though."

"Which way did she go?" asked Rath automatically. He didn't really know what he was doing, the questions just kind of…came out.

Ringleys stared at him in an inquiring manner. "Well, that way, bu-"

"Dude, you know he's already gone, right?" Nohiro stared at the blank spot where his friend had been a few seconds ago.

"Guessed as much," muttered the green-haired boy, walking away, "No one listens to me these days anywho."

Ringleys stared down at Nohiro to see if he was listening. Not a chance.

"Figures…"

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Rath followed the girl silently, making sure not to make any sudden sounds to give away his position. The surrounding leaves and branches gave him small cuts on his bare arms and legs. The half demon was walking deeper and deeper into the now dense overgrown path of trees in the center of the garden, finally stopping in front of a large tombstone shaped as a cross. He could probably bet everything he owned on who's grave it was, and win.

The fortuneteller fell before it, crying unceasingly into the already wet soil beneath her. She kept repeating the same words over and over again. "I'm sorry."

'Dammit, why is she so sad over it?' thought Rath to himself in an unknown emotion. He took this unkindly moment to accidentally step on a rather loud twig, causing his cover to be blown and Cesia to look up at the intruder.

"Oh…hi…" she practically whispered, trying to wipe away her tears. It was a futile effort, seeing as after she cleared them away more just came out and continued the damage her predecessors had left behind. "Ah, sorry, you must think I'm weird," she muttered, trying to smile and standing up straight. "Um…" She stared at the boy who had hidden behind a tree. "You don't have to hide you know."

'Idiot, I don't even know why I'm hiding,' thought Rath to himself, wondering why in the world he had chosen that time to take cover behind the large tree. It had just seemed like the thing to do at the moment…again.

He jumped with surprise when the girl's face appeared at his side.

"Hello?" she asked, staring at him, tears finally gone.

"Er…um, hello," he muttered, not looking at her.

"I'm not scary or anything, am I?"

Rath fumbled with his fingers. "Of course not! I was just, uh…"

He looked into her face and surprisingly turned red when he saw her smiling face looking down at him. She fumbled up his hair with her long, slender fingers.

"You're cute, what's your name again?"

Rath became redder than a tomato. "Um…I'm, uh, Zoma." He muttered, hating himself for acting so oddly.

"Well, Zoma, how are you?" she asked, kneeling down to be eye level with him.

"I'm fine!" he shouted, not able to hold it in. He quickly covered his mouth again with his hands, he couldn't help it, he was worried about her. "But…I don't think you are…" He brought a small, childish finger to the rim of her eyes that were red and a bit puffy from crying. "I don't think you're okay."

Cesia was dazed by the young boy's statement. Why was he looking at her like that? There was so much pain in his eyes and he seemed a lot more…_mature_. Grown-up almost, like-

'_like Rath…_'

She turned her head to the ground and didn't look back up. "You're…you're right," she murmured, wiping her tears, "I'm not fine, but I'm trying to get over it."

Rath couldn't bear to watch her cry so much. A deep feeling of guilt lingered around the dark crevices of his heart. "Why…" he asked to her, "Why do you care so much about this person? What did he ever do for you? Why do you cry so much over him?"

Through her crystal-clear tears and red, watery eyes, he saw a look of happiness and a smile upon her face.

"Because I love him, and still do."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

After their little scene in the garden, Rath had taken Cesia back up to the castle and left her at her room. Now, he sat on top of his designated window seat in the orphans' gigantic playroom and stared out the window in a warm, fuzzy daze.

It felt good to be loved.

He didn't know what had come over him, but he was all happy and smiling every minute. Maybe it was the child inside of him that was making him feel this way, but gee, it felt darn good.

"Psst, hey, Ringleys."

"What?"

"Don't you think Zoma's acting kinda…I dunno, weird?" asked Nohiro, pointing to their purple-haired friend who was currently staring out the window, sighing, and smiling.

"If you mean acting stupid, ignorant, and in a dumb haze, then no," answered Ringleys, going back to his book.

"You are such a nerd," said Nohiro, putting his hand on the book and shoving his face in front of his friend's. "There's something up with him."

Ringleys sighed and put down the book. "Look. Would you stop tormenting the lives of others and work on your own? You could start by getting one." He said sarcastically.

The sound of a girl exploding into a fit of laughter came from overhead. "I do believe you've just been 'burned'," came a voice from overhead.

Nohiro blanched and looked upwards. A small, blue haired girl was swinging from the light fixture, smiling at them. She jumped down and stuck her tongue out at Nohiro.

"Why the face?" she asked, pinching his cheek, "Are you that happy to see me?"

"I think you've mixed a look of disgust with a mix of happiness," he answered, slapping her hand away. "Who asked you to listen in on our conversation, Shian?"

"Ah, no one, just bored is all," she said, pushing his head down. "So, I here ol' dopey's acting weird?"

Ringleys frowned, "It's just in Hiro's head, Zoma's fine…I think…"

"You think?" asked Shian and Nohiro together.

"Yes, I THINK!" he stammered, bringing the book back up again to cover his face.

Shian brought the book down, "Do you…I dunno, KNOW anything, Ring?"

"Of course not!" he huffed, not looking into her eyes.

"Oh, c'mon! Tell us!" said Nohiro, whining.

"I'm not telling you anything! Go away!" he shouted, pushing Shian away from him.

Shian smiled in the most evil way. "You wouldn't want me to get, oh, I dunno, _Miyabi_ now, would you? You know, you're just lucky that she's away looking for you and got lost in the castle. But with one whistle from me, I can call her and she'll come runni-"

"I'll tell you EVERYTHING." Gasped Ringley, looking scared stiff. "Rath came back from the gardens and told me he had spent a little bit of time down there with some girl. Okay? Now DON'T call that- that devil woman, OKAY?"

"Ah, so it's a girl!" said Shian happily, clapping her hands. "But, you know, you just called my friend a devil woman, so just for the fun of it- FWEEEEEEEEEEEEEET!" The girl let out a loud, shrieking whistle.

"NO!" cried Ringleys in despair, all of his cool, calm equanimity fading away as he grabbed his book and prepared to run for it. Normally, he was a serious boy, nothing seemed to bother him, almost like the Black Dragon Officer, Tetheus. But, there was only one single thing in this cruel world that could phase him. _HER._

The footsteps were getting nearer. The shouts, louder. The beating of his heart dared to force itself away from his body. If he could just reach the door and zoom down the hallway, he'd be safe. Just a bit further…

He made it! His fingers latched around the door handle and he pulled it open with all his might.

And there stood…

"M-m-m-Miyabi!" he stuttered, staring at the girl's smiling, happy, seemingly harmless face.

And then the tidal wave broke loose.

"RINGLEYS!" she shouted, throwing herself upon him and making him fall to the floor, smothered in thousands of kisses. "Where have you been! I've been looking for you, silly!" she said between kisses.

"Get off of me!" he shouted, trying to push her away. As he was trying desperately to get her off of him, he accidentally happened to land his hand on her chest area. Though it was basically flat with almost nothing there but a tiny hint of breasts, she instantly sat up (though still on top of him) and gave an over-dramatic blush scene.

"Oh, Ringleys, I never knew you were like that! If you really want me that badly, I'll-"

"No! Wait, that was just a misunderstanding, I didn't mean to- I would never, I mean-"

"_Never_?" she asked, tears filling in her eyes, "I knew it! You don't like me! You think I'm too ugly, is that it? Jerk! You said you loved me!" She started to bawl on the floor.

"I, I never- I don't hate you, and I don't think you're ugly!" he started, not knowing what to do.

"Oh, I knew it!" She said bouncing up and down happily, "You think I'm pretty! I knew you loved me! Oh, I do too!" She pounced on him once more just as he had gotten up.

"I never said I loved you!" shouted Ringleys, trying to get out of her grasp once again.

"Did so!" yelled Miyabi back, hugging him, "Remember? I remember it as if it were yesterday!" She began her dramatic story with hand motions and gestures to illustrate along the way, "It was when I first got to the orphanage. I was about 5 and you were about 6. My parents deserted me, all relatives I knew abandoned me. They didn't need an extra nuisance around the house, was what they told me. I came upon the orphanage and the Shys were even worse to me, all I could do was cry. I'd always cry and say, "No one loves me!" and bother everyone. But you," she put more drama into this, hugging the boy harder, "You came up to me one day when I said "no one loves me" and closed my mouth with your hand, saying, "I love you"." She grinned, bringing her face closer to his and closing her eyes, "And then you bent down and gave me a luscious ki-" she pursed her lips and bent in for his.

"DID NOT!" he yelled, getting red at a dangerous rate, "Okay, so I might have said the 'I love you' part, but only to shut you up!" He crossed his arms and frowned. "You were such a crybaby, I don't like it when people cry."

"Ano…what's wrong with Zo?" asked Miyabi hyperly, not detaching herself from Ringleys.

Shian smirked, "Seems he's finally gone head over heels for a chick," she said. "But who, I wonder. Hana-kusuku's gonna be bummed when she hear-"

Before she could finish, however, the doors opened and in walked in the Dragon Queen in all her wondrous glory leading in Cesia, who looked around curiously.

The half demon stare at the queen, "Excuse me, my lady, but why are you-"

"Honestly, Cesia, stop brooding, have some fun!" said Lady Raseleane cheerfully. "I'm sure one of these children here could use another friend."

"I could."

Shian and Miyabi simultaneously gasped. Ringleys stared in shock. Nohiro fell backwards in a very manga-like fashion.

Their shy, untalkative, naïve friend had just waltzed up to the girl, taken her hand, and smiled at her in a very playboy-like fashion uttering the words "I could" to reply to the Dragon Queen's statement.

'_HE LIKES CESIA!' _thought all four children in unison gathering in a group as they watched their purple-haired friend converse politely with the older girl. _'HE LIKES OLDER WOMEN!'_

Nohiro put an arm around Rath's neck and faked some tears. "Ah, my life's work has paid off. You just wanted to be like your ol' pal and teacher. Picked up some of my tricks, huh? Never knew you had the same taste in wome-"

"Excuse him, he's stupid," stated Rath bluntly to Cesia and pointing at Nohiro. Cesia tried to suppress her giggles, but did so poorly.

Nohiro gasped in shock, fainted, revived himself, fainted again, revived himself again, and then proceeded to be gloomy in the corner of a room while holding onto his favorite teddy bear, Tubby.

The room was filled with laughter and talk after Nohiro's little drama scene, and Rath took hold of Cesia's hand, giving her a "tour" of the room. Being a child made no difference to him, he'd just have to cheer Cesia up as well as he could. Girls liked little kids, right?

As Miyabi once again sprung on top of Ringleys, no one noticed the door shut quietly as a head of pink hair disappeared behind it.

'Zoma…likes Cesia…' thought Hana-kusuku gloomily, taking the laundry downstairs.

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dark-birdie: WEEEEEEEEEEEEE! DONE WITH ANOTHER CHAPTER! Sorry for the sudden change in tones and emotions. I was hyper off Ouran High School Host Club when I finished the second half of this thing and had to put a Tamaki-like Nohiro in here okie dokies, please read and review!


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